Book Review: "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

In an effort to learn a little bit about our new temporary home, we've been doing some reading. A lot of reading, actually. We'd like to share some book reviews from time-to-time for anyone interested in learning a little more about the Middle East in general, or Israel in particular.

"From Beirut to Jerusalem"  Thomas Friedman

The book itself details Friedman's adventures as a New York Times correspondent in Beirut during the early 80s, and his coverage of Jerusalem through the start of the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987. He's pretty far left, but he can definitely turn a phrase, and I think that he has a keen insight on this land, it's people, and the reasons for the seemingly unending conflict that continues here to today.

When I told my god-father, Doug Waller, that we were moving here for 2 years for cultural immersion, he recommended I read this book by his friend, Tom. He told me, "Look Stew, I know it was written 25 years ago, but trust me, only the names have changes...the story is exactly the same." Doug would know, he covered the Middle East for Time and Newsweek during the 90s. After living here a year, having taken classes on the history of Israel, studied the First and Second Intifada, and talked to lots of Israelis, I think his view is accurate. In terms of the peace process, Israel today is very much like it was back in 88, but with more settlements in the West Bank.

Here's a short sample from Friedman:
"Israel is the most difficult, outlandish experiment in Jewish history--an attempt to build a Jewish nation out of Jews who have never lived together. Yes, they dreamed about living together. Yes, they prayed about living together. But in the real world radical Russian Jews and primitive Moroccan Jews and South African Jews and hot-blooded Argentinean Jews never actually lived together in the same space, let alone in the harsh environment of the Middle East. Taking Jews from so many diverse cultures and moral backgrounds and asking them to form a society that will be the carrier of Jewish history in the modern era is no easy task...The country is still teeming with differences, jealousies, unfulfilled dreams, not to mention people who have to hustle their banker just to get to the end of the month and who were not raised on the writings of Thomas Jefferson. It is also filled with excitement, kinetic energy, and amazing achievement for so young a society."

Well said.

I recommend this book not because I agree with every perspective presented (I don't, by a long shot), but because Friedman gives an insight to many of the competing tensions and pressures at work in this complex little country. Enjoy...

Shalom Y'all,
Stew